WAVE TRANSFORMATION ON CORAL REEFS: COMPARISON OF A CFD MODEL AND PHYSICAL MODEL TESTS OF A MALDIVIAN REVETMENT

Designing optimized coastal structures on islands bordered by coral reefs has proven to be a challenging task due the complex reef and wave interaction (Jensen, 1991; Jensen, Sloth Jacobsen, 1998). Often in these tropical regions have steep seaward profile until certain depth, whereafter suddenly becomes flat with mild slope. When offshore waves reach reef, it can result plunging breaking, set-up, energy transfer from peak frequency lower frequencies resulting long period motions. Under conditions, is difficult predict rate of overtopping as hydrodynamics are not covered standard formulas. Furthermore, spectral models, which formulas often based, cannot describe transformation over models able resolve physics this violent water motion. In connection hydraulic study for detailed design revetment Fuvahmulah Maldives, OpenFOAM CFD model applied obtain hydrodynamic parameters. The dynamics rates, forces derived numerical compared results physical conducted Danish Hydraulic Institute (DHI).